SEEING GREEN

One of my absolute favorite color palettes for the fall includes black, white, and olive green. Something about those colors just makes me extremely happy. 

I bought this dress over the summer, and was kind of depressed because I couldn't think of what to wear it with to make it not so chilly (jackets and cardigans can only do so much). But after obsessing over the blog Delightfully Tacky, I realized... hey, layers are a BRILLIANT thing! I never really thought to layer shirts and blouses ( or in this case, a sweater shirt... shirt sweater? I don't know) under dresses. I don't know why, it just truly never occurred to me. 

Anyway, this is what I came up with today. 

Dress/ Urban Outfitters, Shirt/ years ago from Nordstrom, Tights/ ...I actually don't remember, Shoes/ Nordstrom, Rings/ Free People, family ring

Also, exciting, because I finally got a second knuckle ring. I've been wanting one for so long for no good reason except I think they're just super cool. You can see it in one of the pictures above. 

Other than that, I've been enjoying the crisp air and smiling at all of the beautiful orange and red leaves as I drive to school. I love the chilly air, because it gives me time to go inside and get cozied up by the fire and watch old classic movies. Last night I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and Casablanca for the first time. Needless to say, I love both of them now.

I really just love autumn. 

How do you spend your time during this beautiful season? 

katie

FUN FACTS

I don't know about you, but I think random facts about people are the best way to get to know them... so I figured, might be a good way for you all to get to know who I am a bit better!

Here goes...

1. I have seen every episode of the Brady Bunch.
2. I've volunteered in the circus.
3. My favorite food is either sushi or pho.
4. One of my life goals is to learn to play the cello.
5. I have a not-so-secret crush on Joseph Gordon Levitt.
6. I'm scared of boats. Or of the water. Take your pick.
7. I have slight (self diagnosed) synesthesia.
8. I love cilantro. I don't know why, I just love it!
9. Hairless cats seriously freak me out.
10. I still count Pluto as a planet. Well, more accurately, I keep forgetting it's not a planet.
11. I have an extreme dislike for mashed potatoes.
12. I'm an extremely nostalgic person. This is probably why I love old things so much - I love the history and memories.
13. I would love to dye my hair entirely light pink. I don't have the guts, but I think it would be so awesome!
14. I've broken two bones.
15. I'm a Scorpio. And proud of it, baby! ;) (I'm actually obsessed with learning about my horoscope.)
16. I can't not talk with my hands. I physically cannot.
17. I hate the word 'hipster' with a passion.
18. When I was little, I thought that England was in the middle of Europe (near France and Switzerland). It wasn't until freshman year that I learned England is, in fact, an island.
19. I can't make a decision without creating a pro and con list...Even if it's a really fast one in my head when I'm deciding between something in a store or restaurant.
20. I'm a Ravenclaw (and a hardcore HP fan to boot).

I hope you enjoyed!
katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

It's that time again! And this time around, I have a lovely little story to go along with this fine track.

This week, I'm featuring The Horrors.  I only just learned that this band even existed.

Long story short, I was in a little shopping center with my friend, buying coffee at 9:30 (lord knows that was a bad idea - too much caffeine for me, I'll say) just as the stores were closing. We hopped into Claire's (you can find some pretty cool jewelry for really good prices!) and began perusing.

The lady at the checkout counter noticed my shoes (docs... as usual... ), and we struck up a conversation all about Doc Martens and how comfortable they are.  Eventually, we started talking about music and she recommended this band to me. I really wish I could thank her somehow - I've really enjoyed their stuff. It's way different from what I normally listen to, but it's really chill and very interesting.

Enjoy!
katie

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It makes me so happy to see so many campaigns about appreciating natural beauty, loving the skin you're in, and embracing who you are. It's empowering, and I have so much confidence in my generation, that we're helping kick start a group of young women who can change the world.

But at the same time... and my intention is not to be  Debbie Downer here... it's almost a bit demeaning. I mean, not really. But what I'm saying is, I've definitely experience people giving me a hard time if I wear makeup or something like that. The thing is... makeup is fun to play with. It doesn't mean I lack confidence or feel that I need to cover my face up or whatever. Maybe it's the painter in me, but I kind of think that my face is like a canvas and that I can play around and try new things. Okay. That sounds weird. But still!

Really, I just want to challenge people who see makeup as something bad. Let people express themselves however they want... if you don't like it, no one's makin' you do it, yeah? 

It's not my intention at all to preach. At all at all. Just... food for thought ;)

katie

HELLO AUTUMN

It's finally here! Autumn (more on that later*) and winter are my absolute favorite seasons. I finally broke out the camera, as it's essentially just collecting dust in my room, and ventured outside.

Over here in the Pacific Northwest, we have... fickle weather. To put it gently. Here, Mother Nature plays with her guinea pig-like humans as she changes one day to seventy degrees, and the next to thirty. Today, it was pretty chilly, but not too bad.

Anyway, this is what I wore to just chill out on the weekend:

Today, I got to incorporate four of my favorite things: denim jackets, burgundy, stripes, and my beloved Doc Martens. Needless to say, I was more than content.

And I was lucky enough to be shooting just as the sun was setting, so I had some fun with solar flares...

Notes: jacket/ vintage, striped shirt/ Nordstrom, pants/ Madewell, Docs/ Doc Martens


Did I go a little bit crazy with selfies? You bet I did. But how could you not with such amazing light? I just pointed the camera straight at the sun, hopped in front to the side, and hoped that I might get something of interest. Sure, my focus is a bit off, but I'd never really experimented with direct sunlight like this, so it was a really neat learning opportunity.

Anyway. For me, there are three wardrobe staples: a denim jacket, something black and white (stripes, polka dots, you name it), and something burgundy. The black and white patterns are great because they can be worn with anything and everything. Almost all of my shirts are some variation of those two colors!  I usually wear pretty neutral colors, so burgundy is a great pop without being too bright. Burgundy, mustard and olive are generally the three colors I play around with most.

Going along with that, you can never go wrong with a denim jacket. I literally wear mine with everything: dresses, skirts, pants, you name it. I even break the rule of denim on denim (le gasp, I know) because I wear it so often.

And don't even get me started on Doc Martens. I would happily wear these every day for the rest of my life if I could. I think they are the coolest, funkiest, most comfortable things in the world, and I wear them all the time. I even paired them with a fancy dress for a semi-formal occasion at school... ;)

*Fun Fact: This year, I'm trying to call the season Autumn instead of Fall, because Fall reminds me of... well... Reichenbach. Anybody else get me?

Enjoy this amazingly perfect season :)
katie

Edit: okay, when I looked at this on the page, the photos are coming up way blurrier than they actually are. I don't know why that is. When you click to zoom in on them, they are much more in focus. I'm going to try and figure that out... 

10 THINGS

1. This dress from ModCloth. Quite possible candidate for my school's winterball?

2. This necklace from Topshop. So many possibilities with this little beauty...

3. I am OBSESSED with this jacket.

4. This gorgeous typewriter from Etsy. So expensive, but... *drool*

5. Colorful ombre hair. Maybe considering doing a similar pink treatment to my hair...? ;)

6. Anything and everything from brilliant illustrator Noelle Stevenson, aka Gingerhaze. (check out her tumblr too, so amazing).

7. This very exciting sweater. I mean, why not?

8. ... and this sweater, while I'm at it!

9. Roy Lichenstein's pop art. Such a classic, how could you not be obsessed? I'm really digging pop art and big graphics at the moment.

10. These super cool asymmetrical earrings from Love Nail Tree. (and... everything else on that website...)

So there you have it! A very random collection of everything on my current 'window shopping' list.

katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

Okay. We'll see how this actually goes, but I'm hoping to just keep up with posting music that I really like at least once a week.

This week, I'm showing off TacocaT. My friend and I went a few weeks back to a music festival, and when I saw them live I almost died.

They are that good.

Female lead singer Emily Noke has a really cool voice (not to mention amazing style. I want her platinum blonde and pink bob. Seriously). The music is just awesome. It's like a trip back in time (am I crazy for thinking there's a definite Monkees influence?), and yet super modern. What more can you want? The lryics are about anything from getting your new issue of Cat Fancy in the mail to discussing politics and the definition of 'indie'. They're local (at least to me), so not super well known, but definitely should be.

Here is my current favorite. Enjoy. Favorite line: 'angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion'. 

katie

...AND LONG HELLO'S

It looks like... I'M BACK.

I know, I know. It's been... well, it's been a good couple months, now hasn't it? So much has changed and so much keeps changing. I got so caught up in my daily life that, well, I kinda forgot this was here.

But I'm back. And I want to stay updating for a while now.

What I do know is that I can't probably devote a whole lot of time to photos. I would really love to, and I will try my best, but everybody loves a good ol' text post about my thoughts, yeah?

I suppose a little update is in order.

1. The two week arts program was... FANTASTIC. I was pretty nervous about it, but I have to say it was so unbelievably life changing. I felt so... free. Everyone wore whatever they liked, expressed any thoughts, made art about any subject, without feeling judged. I made some pieces that I'm really proud of, but overall I just learned so much. That was something that really struck a chord with me. And this experience was a major leader into this second point..

2. I'm attending a visual arts high school for a semester. Yes it's true! I'm leaving second semester to learn even more about art and who I am. Luckily, it's not too far from home so I can see my family more often ;) I'm thinking of it as a college prep semester.

3. I ombre-d my hair. Myself. Honestly, my friends and I were on vacation together three hours out of town. I wanted to wait and get mine professionally done, because I didn't know what I was doing. But while I was there, I did a reverse ombre on my friend (light to dark) and realized... hey, maybe I can do this. And, voila, before you knew it, I was slapping on lightening powder and came out with a brand new 'do. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I have to touch it up a bit, but overall I really am enjoying it. If there's any interest in an ombre tutorial, let me know (for any readers who are out there).

4. My shopping addiction has reached an all time high. But hey, more material to post here, eh?

5. I purchased my first vintage piece. And now... I can't stop. I've had hand-me-downs from family members and things like that, but I never really found a funky cool piece to buy. Let's just say a 60's red velvet blazer has found its way into my closet ;) I'm really starting to develop my style, which is exciting!

6. I recently saw Perks of Being a Wallflower. And highly recommend it. 

7. Instead of being onstage, I'm now doing backstage work and design. I know it's really not that interesting, but ever since I was twelve, I've always been on stage. I thought that was where I belonged. Recently, I haven't felt that gratification after coming off the stage. This is not to say that I don't like it, it's just that.. well, it isn't my passion anymore. Now, it's my first time doing set design and backstage work and I couldn't be happier. I'm designing a major graphic for the show, and even though it's a high school play, to me it seems like the Real Deal. The Big Time. It's making me realize how much I want to be a creative director in the future... ;)

Well. That's all I can think of. Really, not too much is going on - school is taking over (but hey, what can you do as a junior?), I'm balancing a job and after school curriculars (and homework of course), and trying to figure out more and more of who I am as the days go on. Plus, you know, try and socialize. And stuff. Not that that ever really happens anymore!

Plans for the future (yeah, this post just keeps on going!)
I'm hoping to write a lot more, try as often as possible to get photos up, hopefully showcase some art, and mostly just write about... well, stuff that interests me. I'm ready to start this journey... again!

katie